Frostborn
Location: The Blasted Tundra Government: Barbaric Meritocracy Attitude: Indomitable and Warmongering The Frostborn are a race of humans who, over countless centuries, have adapted to their frozen home in the north into a race of near-human goliaths. They are a hateful and bloodthirsty race where only the strong survive. Culture and Lifestyle The Frostborn have little need for the frivolities of their southern neighbors. What literature they have is scrawled upon cave walls in blood and charcoal, or etched in hide and flesh. There is no art greater than the art of battle, and no music sweeter than the bellow of a war horn or the thunderous beat of a drum. Those who are not strong lead brief lives, and those who are must constantly struggle if they wish to survive another day. Settlements are often small and compact, sustaining only a few dozen barbarians at a time. They bunker down in cracks and crevices within the stone and the ice, staving off the frigid winds with layers of treated hides and slabs of granite. There is no differentiation between men and women, for both pull their weight equally. Those who do not, die. They hunt the mighty beasts of the land, monstrosities that would make any Midlandian soldier weak with fear providing them with the meat and furs needed to hang on for another day. There are few rules in Frostborn society, but all of them can be summed up fairly well with one sentence: the strong rule. And the strongest of them is always their leader, a warlord who commands legions of barbarians under one banner. Usually, the tribes fight amongst themselves, but on rare occasions there have been warlord who lead not one tribe, but many. There has only been one instance in history of a warlord being great enough to lead all of the tribes at once, known as Krom, whom personally led the incursion into the Midlands. Religion Frostborn are staunch misotheists, without exception. Gods are despised in this land. Missionaries from other nations are slain on sight. While lacking religion, the people of the north are not without belief. According to them, the afterlife is composed of a strict hierarchy without beginning or end. If one kills another man, woman, or beast, then the soul of that being will serve them in the Beyond. Likewise, they must serve the one who kills them, and so on. In the rare event that a Frostborn risks death by old age or disease, they may call upon a trusted friend to slay them on their death bed. Those wounded on the battlefield who are too far gone to be treated are usually killed by their commanding officers, to ensure that they do not serve the enemy in death. History It is said that the Frostborn are a cursed people, damned by the Gods aeons ago for some unspeakable crime. The Frostborn believe differently. The gods, fearing their innate strength and prowess in battle, blighted the landscape of their homeland with a hellish cold that cracked flesh and sundered bone. But the Frostborn survived this great calamity, spitting in the face of the gods and vowing that they would pay dearly for their treachery. From that point forward, no god was ever again worshiped in northern lands. The winds howled down from the mountaintops, cruelly blasting the plains until all was barren and white. The weak died off, and only the strong lived to pass their genes and their wisdom on to the next generation. Not quite men, but not quite monsters, the Frostborn chose to adapt rather than flee like cowards. The Tundra has been their home ever since, a testament to their indomitable will. For centuries, the Frostborn lived in reclusion in the north, hunting and killing each other. However, in recent history, a great leader among their people arose, managing to unite all Frostborn tribes beneath his blood-soaked banner. He led the Invasion from the North, as it came to be known, against the people of the Midlands. The campaign was long, brutal and nearly a success, but his people were eventually beaten by the Midlandian Army and driven back into their home and there they remain to this day. Technology Notable Members Frostborn Settlements Category:Races Category:The Blasted Tundra